Thanks, but no thanks

Tsunami | India refuses outside aid as farmers and fishermen protest a lack of help from their government

NAGAPATTINAM, India -- On the outskirts of this city on India's Tamil Nadu coastline, a police officer stops incoming vehicles and warns of "agitation ahead." Immediately following the Dec. 26 tsunami, this police checkpoint was established to prevent gawkers and curiosity-seekers from entering the tidal-wave zone.

But many foreign relief organizations were also prevented from entering the city where nearly 80 percent of India's 8,000 deaths were concentrated. The official stance of the Indian government toward foreign charitable and governmental aid has been "thank you kindly, but we have it all under control."

Despite ominous warnings of civil agitation, the road into Nagapattinam appears to be clear. Yet half a mile further traffic comes to a grinding standstill. The only alternative way into town is to find a less-traveled back road. Tsunami survivors have staged an extemporaneous sit-down protest on the main highway blocking all incoming vehicles. The protesters claim they have not seen one penny of the $70 million allocated for tsunami relief by India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.